Page 28 - TTFebruary2018

issue. The way they saw it, the ECI cracking problem was no better or worse than cylinders from other sources. So, the new engines they planned to send up also all had ECI cylinders, al- beit a new version wherein the “problem” (not admitted being present in the first place) had been fixed.
The next morning, all log entries completed, we departed in low IFR conditions to Oregon. There was a low-pressure system off the coast, producing a line of weather that extend- ed offshore from Vancouver Island to northern California, and was working its way inland across the entire area. The left engine with its new Continental cylinder performed just fine, and we made an ILS into Medford, with a breakoff to fly VFR down the valley the few miles to the small airport at Ashland without any problem. The next day the return trip also went without a single hitch, with a nice tailwind and on top of an extensive cloud layer at FL220.
But, I am still feelin•g somewhat ill at ease about the remain- ing 11 ECI cylinders on my airplane. Just in case this happens again, I bought a spare one made by Continental.
Cracked cylinders and blue fuel stains next to hot exhaust are never a good thing. T&T
Kevin Ware is an ATP who also holds CFI, MEII and he- licopter ratings, has more than 10,000 hours and is typed in several different business jets. He has been flying for a living on and off since he was 20, and currently works as a contract pilot for various corporations in the Seattle area. When not working as a pilot he is employed part time as an emergency and urgent care physician. He can be reached at kevin.ware2@aol.com.
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Kevin Ware’s Cessna 340 parked in the maintenance hangar as it awaits
a replacement cylinder.
A couple of days later, two newly overhauled engines in RAM crates were delivered to the maintenance shop. While this had been going on, the shop crew had sent out both propellers to be f lushed just as a precaution. The new engines were promptly mounted and the left one per- formed perfectly.
The engine on the right however immediately drove the pro- peller into feather, a position from which it refused to budge. Finally, after doing a long checklist of mechanical tests, it was decided there must actually be something wrong with this newly overhauled engine itself, probably the oil separation ring on the front of the crank shaft.
By now the AOG period had extended to a month. RAM sent yet another engine, which was installed within a few days, and ran without problem.
We thought with the “new” and improved ECI cylinders, our problems were over, but now two years later as I was looking at the mess of parts and cowling resting on the hangar floor, with the Ashland personal trip now just three days away, I realized with restrained irritation that it was just not so. We again called our friendly RAM customer service guy, who said the engines still had some warranty coverage, but they (finally) were no longer using ECI products, and therefore he could not send us up a replacement cylinder of the same brand. They would however send up a newly overhauled one from Continental, at a prorated discount given the warranty. The cylinder was shipped to arrive the next morning, and was then promptly installed, now just a day before our scheduled Ashland trip.
I have learned to never take passengers, fly IFR or at night on a first flight after major maintenance, so I still needed to test fly the airplane. At 5 p.m. on the day before our depar- ture, I showed up at the airport and received a “new cylinder” break-in briefing from mechanic Paul, plus a yellow and red checklist from RAM outlining what specifically needed to be done. I noticed the single most repeated line on the list was “FULL POWER SHOULD ALWAYS BE USED AS REQUIRED IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY” in all caps, something that seemed obvious to me as a pilot. Taking care to avoid any “EMERGENCY” I completed the break-in process, which basi- cally involved cycling the power over a certain range for about an hour or so without any difficulty.
26 • TWIN & TURBINE
February 2018